Job Description

Project: JOSP Maareynta-Governance for Adaptation to Climate Change

Contract Type: Consulting Firm

Quotation No: Fgs/Services/MoAI/0020/2025

Duration: 120–150 Days (Deliverable-Based Contract)
Reporting to: Director General & Director of Irrigation, MoAI

Background

Somalia’s agriculture is highly dependent on the Shabelle and Juba rivers, which support most irrigated farming and national food production. Despite this importance, the irrigation sector is governed by fragmented and outdated legal frameworks, unclear roles between Federal and Federal Member State (FMS) institutions, and the absence of standardized rules for water allocation, infrastructure management, community participation, and equitable service delivery.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation through its National Agriculture Transformational strategy and the JOSP Water & Irrigation Governance Roadmap developed under JOSP, a national flagship and transformative programme have identified the development of National Irrigation Law as a national priority. A law is required to:

• Clarify institutional mandates
• Regulate irrigation service provision
• Formalize Participatory Irrigation Management (PIM)
• Strengthen basin governance
• Ensure equitable and sustainable water use
• Support climate resilience and agricultural transformation

This work aligns with the National Transformation Plan (NTP 2025–2029) and the National Agriculture Transformation Strategy, both of which emphasize transformational governance, strengthened coordination, and a modern legal framework to guide water and irrigation management in Somalia.

To achieve this, MoAI seeks to hire a qualified consultancy firm or legal team to lead the drafting and finalization of the National Irrigation Law of Somalia.

Purpose of the assignment

The purpose of this assignment is to develop a comprehensive National Irrigation Law that provides a clear, modern, and enforceable legal framework for irrigation governance in Somalia. The law will operationalize the National Irrigation Policy, define institutional mandates across Federal, FMS, district, basin, and community levels, and establish the legal basis for Participatory Irrigation Management (PIM), Riverine Water User Associations (RWUAs), irrigation service fees, water allocation rules, and infrastructure operation and maintenance. It will strengthen basin-level governance and irrigation regulation systems, incorporate flood and drought management provisions, and ensure full alignment with the Constitution, the Water Resources Law, land and agricultural policies, the National Transformation Plan (NTP), and the JOSP water and irrigation governance framework.

Scope of Work

The consultancy firm will provide legal, technical, institutional, and governance expertise to support the full development of the National Irrigation Law. The assignment will cover four main areas of work:

1. Legal and Institutional Review

• Review the Constitution and all national and state-level laws relevant to irrigation, water, land, environment, and natural resource management.
• Assess current institutional mandates, regulatory gaps, overlaps, and implementation challenges.
• Benchmark regional and international irrigation legislation to inform best practices.

1. Stakeholder Consultations

• Prepare and implement a structured consultation plan covering federal, state, district, and community levels.
• Engage key actors including government institutions, local authorities, farmer groups, Water User Associations, private sector service providers, women and youth groups, and development partners.
• Document inputs and ensure they are fully reflected in the draft law.

1. Drafting the National Irrigation Law
   • Prepare an outline structure of the law for government approval.
   • Draft the full National Irrigation Law, addressing:

• Institutional mandates and governance structure
• Irrigation water rights, allocation, and permitting
• River basin management and environmental safeguards
• Irrigation infrastructure ownership, O&M, and safety standards
• Participatory Irrigation Management (PIM) and legal recognition of RWUAs
• Tariffs, service fees, and private sector participation
• Dispute resolution and enforcement mechanisms
• Transitional and implementation arrangements
  • Revise the draft based on feedback and legal review.

1. Validation and Finalization

• Present the draft law in federal and state-level validation workshops.
• Facilitate technical/legal review sessions with government counterparts.
• Incorporate all comments and prepare the final versionof the National Irrigation Law in both English and Somali.
• Provide an explanatory memorandum or implementation guidance note.

4. Deliverables

The consultancy shall deliver the following:

1. Inception Report (methodology, workplan, consultation plan)
2. Legal and Institutional Assessment Report
3. Outline Structure for the Irrigation Law
4. Draft National Irrigation Law – Version 1
5. Draft National Irrigation Law – Version 2 (after consultations)
6. Validation Workshop Report(s)
7. Final National Irrigation Law (English & Somali)
8. Implementation Guidance Note / Explanatory Memorandum
9. Final Consolidated Report

Experiences and Qualifications

The consulting firm or consortium must meet the following requirements:

• Minimum 5 years of proven experience in legal drafting, water law, natural resource governance, or irrigation governance.
• Demonstrated experience in developing national laws, policies, or regulatory frameworks.
• Expertise in irrigation engineering, water resource management, and governance.
• Ability to produce high-quality legal documents in English; Somali translation capacity preferred.

Skills Required

Attachment

Follow us on social media